1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and work card for inputting operating cycles to electronic control units in sewing machines, involving the use of an electronic control unit in which a plurality of instructions is stored to be sequentially sent to the sewing machine for controlling operation thereof.
In particular, the invention is adapted to be used in combination with industrial use sewing machines, generally providing for repeated operating cycles to be executed for an indefinite number of times, each comprising a specific working sequence of different type.
2. Prior Art
It is known that in the field of sewing machines, in particular industrial use sewing machines, technical solutions have been recently developed according to which operation of the machine as well as the various accessory devices associated therewith, is fully controlled by an electronic control unit.
This electronic control unit is such programmed that operation of the sewing machine takes place according to a predetermined operating cycle consisting of a previously inputted sequence of workings. For each of said workings many parameters are required to be specifically inputted to the sewing machine, such as for example length of the sewing stitch, possible puckering of the workpiece at the sewing, possible insertion of rubber bands or reinforcing ribbon-like laces and still others.
The electronic control unit is capable of carrying out inputtings to the sewing machine at the beginning of each working provided in the operating cycle in a quick and precise manner, so that the operator's work can be greatly facilitated. Practically, the operator's task substantially consists in positioning the workpiece under the machine presser foot and commanding starting of working that will then go on under the control of the electronic unit.
By adopting these electronic control units therefore, training of the staff assigned to the use of the sewing machine has been greatly facilitated and simultaneously an important increase in productivity has been achieved together with a great reduction in working rejections due to mistakes by the operator and a remarkable increase in the operating flexibility of the sewing machines.
It is to be pointed out however that at the present state of the art electronic control units give rise to many-difficulties in programming.
In fact, keying-in of any operating cycle to the electronic control unit takes place by sequentially inputting a great number of elementary instructions into the unit memory, to each of said instructions corresponding, within the sewing machine operation, activation and deactivation of a given device or servomechanism such as for example a motors, solenoid valve, photoelectric cell or others. For programming purposes it is therefore necessary to avail oneself of the intervention of a person that not only has a certain A knowledge in the field of computers and the like, but is also perfectly acquainted with all technical and operating features of the machine. The concerned person must for example know all diagrams for electric and hydropneumatic connections between the various actuators, solenoid valves and other devices currently provided in sewing machines.
As a result, at the present time the electronic control unit must be necessarily programmed by highly qualified technicians.
In addition, in order to give the sewing machine sufficient practicality and operating flexibility, provision is made for a plurality of different operating cycles to be previously inputted and stored in the electronic control unit during the sewing machine manufacture, which cycles will be selectively used case by case by the final users, depending on the different requirements. Practically, the final user that begins using the sewing machine will be able to select the operating cycle which is best suited to the type of manufactured article he intends to produce, by retrieving it by means of a numeric, alphabetic or alphanumeric code.
The necessity of developing and inputting a great number of programs relating to the different operating cycles to the electronic control units however involves the adoption of electronic units having high storage capacity, and a vast amount of work is required, which will bring about economical consequences. In the connection it will be recognized that said programs must be necessarily studied so that each of them may as much as possible meet the different operating requirements of any user to whom the sewing machine is destined. This condition inevitably involves the creation of programs for operating cycles that, while being on the one hand very versatile, on the other hand are not always capable of meeting the particular operating requirements arising each time in use.
It is noted in fact that often a program previously inputted for a given operating cycle must be modified at the moment of use of the sewing machine. In these cases need for the intervention of highly qualified technicians brings about further problems.